


Small Problems

by pantswarrior



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Crush, F/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-07
Updated: 2011-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-14 13:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pantswarrior/pseuds/pantswarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As emperor, Larsa deals with large problems on a daily basis. When Vaan finds out about a relatively small problem, maybe he's just the commoner to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Problems

It would seem that the novelty of being allowed to drink as much as he liked had not entirely worn off for Vaan just yet. Not that he was embarrassingly inebriated by any means, but he had showed no self-consciousness (rather, great enthusiasm) about enjoying the contents of Dalmasca's royal wine cellar throughout the evening, and had gotten progressively noisier and... well, more relaxed, was the best way Larsa could think of to put it. Never mind that the sky pirate already stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of the festivities at the palace, celebrating three years since the war's end, for which Larsa had been invited to Rabanastre.

As for himself, he had taken a polite sip at each of the numerous toasts that had been offered at dinner, then switched to water after finishing a single glass. If he had drunk as much wine as Vaan had, he suspected he'd be unconscious. As it was, Vaan's high spirits were enough to be contagious, and Larsa found himself laughing nearly as much as Vaan was. It was seldom that he had the opportunity anymore to simply be himself rather than being emperor - he'd expected this fete to be boring, in fact, before he'd found out that Vaan and Penelo would be present - and he cherished it.

Which was likely why, late in the evening, he found himself someplace thoroughly unexpected. Penelo had turned in early, claiming the wine had made _her_ sleepy, at least, and _one_ of them needed to be awake enough to fly the next day. Larsa regretted losing her company, for unlike Vaan, she paid attention to the state of affairs in Ivalice beyond airspace restrictions and trading laws. On the other hand, he did not at all regret walking along the palace's ramparts alone with Vaan - after assuring Judge Gabranth that he could speak with the queen if he wished, for Larsa would not let Vaan fall off the skywalk. Or let him pretend to throw Larsa off and accidentally do so in reality. This Judge Gabranth knew Vaan all too well.

Perhaps fortunately, Vaan had calmed somewhat beneath the night sky, and was now waxing romantic about the events leading up to the end of the war. "And right down there, beneath us, that's where I first saw Ashe. Not that I really was thinking about it, seeing as the place was kind of being blown up and all. But I had no idea that girl was the princess. Or that she'd be the queen."

"One does tend to follow the other," Larsa observed, ever patient.

Vaan nodded, leaning on the railing. "...So much has happened since then. I mean, I always wanted the empire to get lost and leave us alone - uh, no offense, Larsa-" ("None taken," Larsa replied easily) "but I... never thought they really would, you know? Or maybe we'd get our freedom back, but they'd be threatening us all the time. Or if they really did leave, they'd be off conquering someone else, and I'd still hate them. "

Larsa smiled softly, leaning on the railing beside him. "There was a time when I did not understand why anyone would hate Archadia. I am glad that you do so no longer."

"Yeah, me too. I'm a lot happier now, and not just because I can go wherever I want. I like flying around and seeing other cities and other countries, but it's even better when I know that I can come back to Rabanastre and it'll still be here."

"It is something to treasure," Larsa murmured in agreement, looking down at his gloved hands upon the stone. "Something to return home to."

Vaan nodded, looking out at the city; beyond, to the west, the wreckage of the Bahamut still jutted upwards, blacking out a portion of the sky. "I'm really grateful to you and Ashe for that."

"You helped also," Larsa reminded him.

"Well, yeah..." Vaan admitted, a little sheepish. "But the things I did wouldn't have gotten us very far if it wasn't for you and Ashe... and Al-Cid, and the Marquis, and so on. People like me and Penelo helped win our peace, but it's you guys that keep it alive."

"Not so." Larsa shook his head. "The burden of keeping the peace falls upon every citizen of every nation. Politicians and monarchs may change the laws, but no one can change a person's heart unless they will it to change." ...It seemed that he'd become a bit preoccupied.

Vaan looked down at him - no, not down, they were almost the same height now, Larsa realized - with an incredulous look. "I _guess_ not, but... you're still the ones who solve all the big problems. Heh - it's just like you to act like you don't do anything up there in Archades."

"Oh, I do," Larsa said quickly - he didn't come off like _that_ , did he? "But I cannot solve all the problems in Ivalice just because I am emperor. Not even most of them. ...Not even many of the small ones."

That must have come out sounding more dejected than he'd intended, for Vaan suddenly looked curious. "So, Larsa... what's going on?"

"Hmm?"

"Something's on your mind, isn't it? You've been kind of quiet ever since Penelo went to bed. Really, you were quiet all night unless Penelo was making you talk or I was making you laugh."

He'd noticed, had he? Perhaps Vaan was not so much affected by the drink as Larsa had thought. "It's nothing."

"So it's a small problem, right?" Vaan turned around, leaning back on the railing and crossing his arms across his chest, perfectly casual. He had no idea. "Maybe emperors can't solve all the small problems, sure, but maybe I can help you out. I mean, I owe you. For solving so many of the big problems. It's the least I could do to help with a small one."

"...I appreciate the offer," Larsa began, stalling as he tried to think of what he could possibly say. Court drama, perhaps? No, Vaan wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about if he tried to explain the subtleties of life as a noble in Archades. There were the two recent assassination attempts, neither of which had put him in serious danger, but that would certainly not count as a "small" problem.

"...There's..." He gave in, feeling his cheeks grow warm even before he spoke the words. "...someone I'm interested in."

Vaan's eyebrows raised. "Ohhh. Who is it?"

"I'd rather not say." But now that he'd started talking about it, he didn't care to stop. "Someone... truly wonderful. I feel warm all over just thinking about this person. I see her only occasionally, but when I do it's as if no time has passed at all, and we can just talk for hours."

"Uh huh..." Vaan nodded sagely. "Does she like you too?"

Larsa shook his head, bowing it slightly. "I think... there is someone else."

"Hmmm..." Vaan cocked his head to the side. "That's not really so much of a 'small' problem."

"Comparatively small."

"It's kind of universal, though. To some people, it's the biggest problem in the world." Vaan shrugged apologetically. "I, uh, don't really have a lot of experience with that sort of thing, though."

"That's all right. I would not expect you to be able to help me with this." In fact, the mere fact that he was talking about it with _Vaan_ made Larsa wonder. Surely one glass of wine was not enough to impair his judgment so badly, was it?

"But you know," Vaan said thoughtfully, resting his chin in one hand, "you said you _think_ she likes someone else. You didn't say you _know_ she does."

"Well, no... But my suspicions usually turn out to be correct." It wasn't arrogance, but simple fact.

"But you don't _know_ ," Vaan repeated.

"I'm certain. She can't talk about herself without talking about him too. They're always together, nearly inseparable. It's obvious that they're very close."

"Yeah, but you still don't know. You _never_ know. Unless you ask."

"What?" Larsa forgot that he was trying to keep his eyes averted, and stared at Vaan. "I can't just... _ask_ her. She'd know why. She's very intelligent."

"So she'd know why. Why is that a problem, as long as it's true?"

"...It would be awkward," was the best Larsa could come up with.

Vaan gave him a little smirk. "I don't think it would be. It sounds like you know her pretty well, and you're friends already, if you're talking to her for hours and stuff. If it was me, and it was one of my friends, I wouldn't mind. If I felt the same way, I'd be really happy. Even if I didn't feel the same way, I'd think it was pretty neat that someone liked me that much. What's to feel bad about if someone likes you?"

Larsa's tongue moved as if to speak, but froze behind his teeth. He could not find an excuse to give, no matter how badly he felt that there _must_ be one.

"Really... I think you should just tell her how you feel."

Again Larsa wanted to protest, but the abruptly serious look on Vaan's face stopped him. "...Why do you say that?"

This time it was Vaan's eyes that were downcast. "I don't remember if I ever mentioned it to you, or maybe Penelo did... I had an older brother, Reks. He volunteered with the military during the war, and was sent to Nalbina."

Larsa's lips parted slightly in surprise and sympathy. He knew what had happened there - and now he recalled that he had heard the name Reks before as well, only three years before. He said nothing, however, and let Vaan speak.

"I knew he joined up with the army to protect our home," Vaan continued, his voice growing softer, distant. "To protect me. And... I thought that was really great of him. He was a really good older brother, always. But, you know, we were guys. And we were young, and he'd been in a few battles." Vaan shrugged again. "I wasn't going to get all mushy on him. So when he went off to Nalbina, I just made some stupid joke about him not tripping over his own sword, and he grinned and punched me in the shoulder. Then he left."

"...This is the same Reks who bore witness against Sir Basch...?" Larsa hadn't heard the true tale of who had slain King Raminas and why Basch still lived until after the war had ended.

Vaan nodded. "That was about all he had a chance to do. He lived long enough to make it back to Rabanastre... but no one could save him. They kept him going for a little while, but even spells couldn't heal all his wounds, just stop the bleeding on the outside. ...He was awake sometimes, kind of, but never _really_ awake. He just sat there, staring at nothing."

"I am sorry," Larsa said softly, his head bowed. He'd suspected he might have come to terms with some of the things that his former Judge Magister had done, but to hear a first-hand account of the suffering that had come at his hand was more painful than he'd expected.

Vaan was not listening, but lost in his own memories. "...I visited him every day. Brought him presents. Told him what was happening in Dalmasca, with Ashe's supposed suicide and Basch's execution and stuff. I told him he was a really great big brother, he always had been... and he'd better pull through, because I didn't know what I was going to do without him. But, well... they said they weren't sure he could hear me. ...I guess he didn't."

Larsa took a deep breath. "I am sure he knew," he murmured.

"Maybe. But that's the thing." Vaan raised his head to look at Larsa, now perfectly sober. "You _never_ know. And something could happen, tonight or tomorrow or the next day or the next year. If you really care a lot about someone, you've _got_ to tell them while you can. Otherwise, you never know, and neither do they."

"I understand," Larsa said with a slow nod. He understood a great deal suddenly. "There was much left unsaid between my brother and I also. ...I'm very sorry."

The look on his face must have been telling, for Vaan suddenly turned his head, scratching it idly. "Uh, sorry to get all heavy on you like that, I've probably had a little too much to drink or something. It's just... it's important to tell people things. See?"

Larsa nodded again. "It's all right - it _is_ important, and I thank you for giving me such advice. ...You're... a very good friend, Vaan," he added softly. It was that one fact which made him reach his decision. "A very, very good friend."

"Aw..." Vaan kicked at the cobblestones, with a half-hearted sheepish grin. "Didn't mean you have to tell _me_ anything right now." When he looked up to Larsa again, the half-hearted grin had resolved into something more gentle, more sincere. "But thanks. You're a good friend too."

"Thank you."

The grin still looked a bit forced as Vaan relaxed against the railing again. "Anyway, I know you and Penelo are always writing to each other, but you can write me too - even if she acts like I'm too dumb to know how to read. So tell me how it turns out with this girl, okay?"

"Of course," replied Larsa, his mind already at work formulating a believable lie to send. One thing was for certain - after this conversation with Vaan, there was no possible way that he could bring himself to say a word to her about it - except to pass along to her the surprisingly sound advice Vaan had given him. He had a feeling that Vaan would appreciate it.


End file.
